AVATAR - See it in 3D if you haven't! #1 Movie All-Time Domestic & Worldwide!

[3 Justin 3]

Damn you MAV. I was already excited to see the movie, now you have me shaking from the excitement! Can't wait to see it on Saturday.

[HPLovecraft]

Originally Posted by bugsy

Spoilers ahead? Probably not too many, but just sayn in case you wanna steer clear.

Dont know what I expected from IMAX, but not sure the Q Street theatre was it. No complaints though (seeming lack of a/c aside). Frack sitting in the front row for that stuff though. Heart went out to all those dudes stuck up there. Then again, maybe its not as bad as a person would imagine.

Anyway no need to get too in depth probably, most dudes are gonna probably see this and have already done some background reading.

Movie feels flat, and yet is bloated on influence and cliche. Giovanni(?) Ribisi I think was in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and although Avatar was better, on first viewing it felt almost as hollow. And wasn't Sky Captain meant to "push the envelope" as well?

Slow mo (esp. death scenes), flute music, those "shaky-pan" shots of broad landscapes and environments that LOTR used to max effect; all those things are used to death here. Bummer that it relied on those sorts of mechanics at times, and didn't push things in different directions with the thematic and character stuff. That said, it cruised along at a tilt and I thought it was thoroughly entertaining with a massive wow factor at times. Doesn't hold a bioluminescent jellyfish to District 9 though, imo. Anyway thats my take. Do want to see again at some point.

And yeah, Stephen Lang as King Jarhead kicked ass. Could have done with more swearing and all around menace from him (ala Full Metal Jacket), and maybe some more blood spilt, but then, this thing is unapologetically more of a family-friendly time out. Sorta miss the Aliens-era Cameron, but there were some good echoes of that esp. towards the end.From someone who gets real tired of CGI, there are some phenomenal creatures and designs here, and some great action beats.

You only have one actual 3D IMAX theater there in Calgary, the Chinook one. It has the big, classic, 3D IMAX screen. The others those fake IMAX with smaller screens and apparently no A/C!

[LokeyD]

Originally Posted by Mav

Just got back from the midnight Imax show at Chinook.

That was single handedly the most amazing piece of art I have ever witnessed. Yes, art, not movie, art. Throughout the film I kept having to pinch myself in order to remind me that I was in fact still in a theater. Cameron set out to take the viewer to another world and he not only took every patron in that theater to it, he sent them all there on a rocket to the heart of the sun (or Pandora in this case I suppose).

I truly believe that filmmaking will never be the same again. Just as he did in 97 with Titanic, JC took everything to another level, and the rest of the industry will be scrambling to keep up.

For years CGI aficionados have been discussing the idea of realism in 3D and whether or not a CG character could have a true soul, well after about 2 minutes of picking my jaw up off the floor when the Navi are first seen on screen I completely forgot that they were renderings from a computer and not real characters. Hell at one point when the viewer is introduced to the tribe and its Chief, I said to my buddy "hey that looks like Wes Studi, the dude that played Magua from Last of the Mohicans", well credits roll, and whose name appears? It was simply amazing.

Like Titanic the majority of the films 3/4s are building the characters, the atmosphere and the story. Even though it's the tried and true Pocahontas story line, it is delivered in a new and ingenious way with our hero able to bounce between the two factions, it kept you glued to the screen, eager to find out which way the end battle would come to fruition, and boy when it comes, it comes with a bang!

The final 25 minutes of the film are simply spellbinding. I was worried at first that it would be just another giant battle scene with the effects guys trying to see how many warriors they could fit on the screen at once. Thankfully for anyone gracious enough to watch the film, it turns out to be the single most amazing collage of awesomeness ever to grace celluloid (or a computers hard drive I guess, it is the digital age).

See this movie. See it now. Then see it again. You will not be disappointed. Simply undescribable. Unbelievable.

Great review Mav! I can't wait to go see it.

I agree with you, it seems like too many films are released without the producers trying new things and using new technology to advance the art of film. Its nice to see JC continue to push the envelope. If it truly is as good as you say it is, I hope to see the quality of movies improve.

[bugsy]

Originally Posted by HPLovecraft

You only have one actual 3D IMAX theater there in Calgary, the Chinook one. It has the big, classic, 3D IMAX screen. The others those fake IMAX with smaller screens and apparently no A/C!

Sorry no, this was in Auckland (where it's summer and a/c is much appreciated in a packed theatre). The screen image was great, but it was just not what I remembered from my last IMAX watch (prob. 15 years ago).

Keen to see this thing again in a different setting. It's a fun one

[Flashpoint]

I went and saw it in 3D this morning (I highly recommend seeing it in 3D). I didn't expect much going in. I don't typically like movies that are mostly CG, and I figured the trailer had given away the entire plot. But the company was paying for it, so I figured, what the hey.

It was the single greatest cinematic experience of my life.

Completely blown away.

Reminded me a great deal of "Aliens" which was my favorite movie when I was a teenager, without being quite as dark. So I guess if you enjoyed Aliens, and you like 3D movies, you'll probably enjoy this one too.

For me - it was a perfect movie.

[HPLovecraft]

Went and seen it this morning, too, with the girlfriend.

SPOILERS BELOW

Technically, the movie is brilliant. Blown away. Unfortunately, the story and characterization were let-downs... Well, not totally, since I didn't expect anything too mind-blowing from those, but there were still some things I was a bit sad about. I'll start with the stuff I disliked, then end with the stuff I did like.

The 3rd act wasn't nearly as good as the first two. Seemed like Cameron tried to cram the theme in at the end instead of just letting it ride... Too much exposition and clunky dialogue at that point. That Tree of Souls exchange between normal Jack and Grace and Norm and Michelle's character (I'll get to her) was brutal. The part with Jack coming right out and beating us over the head with the message of us ruining our Earth and trying to ruin Pandora was also clunky.

I hated Michelle Rodriquez's character, if you can call a pretty blatant plot device that. Her sole purpose in the movie was to break Jack and co. out of jail and fly them to a remote part of Pandora. Underdeveloped (why did she just suddenly decide to fly away from everyone else with a, "I didn't sign up for this?" and risk everything to break Jack out of jail?) and I hated the part in the 3rd act during the giant battle scene where she shows up with her chopper painted with blue stripes and a blue Na'vi-esque stripe across her eyes. Did she just go insane?

How come the Na'vi couldn't shoot arrows through the chopper's windows when on the ground but were blowing holes through them when shooting at them from the air?

Why did the giant mech have a giant knife? Was that for in case he got in a knife fight with another giant robot?

Besides the little plot holes, I was disappointed that Jack's inability to walk and then to suddenly be able to do so wasn't explored beyond the first part of the movie... It was handled really well at the beginning, when he got up and started running in his Avatar, but then was kind of forgotten about... I would have liked to have seen the scene near the end where Neytiri holds human Jack include something to do with his inability to walk in this form.

Now, the things that I did like were also many. Graphically, this money was mind-blowing... Just wow. I had a fear going in that I would not be able to relate effectively to these animated characters because they might not look real, or there may be lapses that pull me out of the experience. Boy, was I wrong. Neytiri is the greatest CGI character I've ever seen. The scene where she thinks that Jack betrayed her and begins to cry looks photo realistic. Her eyes look REAL. Just really amazing stuff.

I also loved the actress that did the voice for Neytiri... Really well suited for her. Loved her exchange with Jack when they first meet. The evil military dude was also well done, even if he was just your regular soldier archetype.

The scene near the beginning where the giant, psychotic cat-thing chases Jack through pandora was just eye-bugging.

Overall, I will probably go see it again before it's taken out of theaters. I seen it at the Colossus Toronto theater, 6 stories high in fantastic 3D. You HAVE to see it like this to get the full experience, for sure. As expected, the CGI is beyond amazing, the real future of cinema, but the story and, unfortunately, the characters are a bit underwhelming. I think Cameron could have used a little more time to flesh out Jack's and Neytiri's relationship, the Michelle Rodriquez character (or just leave her out altogether and write something else in her place), and made it a little less Pocahontas-esque. That being said, I think the movie was still the right length, and any longer and it may have gotten a bit boring.

Am I pleased? Yes, definitely. Was it mindblowing? The CGI was. The Na'vi and Pandora were REAL. That being said, take away the 3D effects and mindblowing CGI and I likely wouldn't have liked it nearly as much and might have thought it was just above average. However, everything needs to be considered as a whole, and I'd give it a 7/10. My girlfriend says she'd give it an 8.5/10. As a straight action flick that is an exhilarating ride, nobody will be disappointed, I don't think.

[CMPunk]

Still not interested in seeing it

[flip]

Originally Posted by CMPunk

Still not interested in seeing it

Good for you.

[lucky1]

just got back from seeing it at the 3D Imax theatre in Chinook....truly the best movie I have seen in a long, long time. Anyone on the fence, buck up the $$$ and go, you wont be dissapointed

[awildermode]

the subtitles are in 3D...that was awesome!

[Hack&Lube]

Does this require 3D goggles? Am I going to get a brow full of sticky sweat from the last guy who wore them?

[flip]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Does this require 3D goggles? Am I going to get a brow full of sticky sweat from the last guy who wore them?

You get a free* pair when you go. They look like this:

(not the lame red/blue ones but the ones in the background, I think they want everyone to look like Rivers Cuomo)




*by free I mean you pay more for 3D movies but the theatres say it is because of the increased production costs, not the glasses. Regardless of whether or not you take a new pair each time or keep them and reuse them you still pay extra each time.

[J pold]

I'm worried this might go the way of The Hangover, where the hype surrounding this film will be so immense that it becomes nearly impossible for it to live up to. Based on what I've read so far this is clearly a fantastic film, but greatest piece of art of all time? I'm no art expert but that statement creates very lofty expectations to say the least.

[HPLovecraft]

Originally Posted by flip

You get a free* pair when you go. They look like this:

(not the lame red/blue ones but the ones in the background, I think they want everyone to look like Rivers Cuomo)




*by free I mean you pay more for 3D movies but the theatres say it is because of the increased production costs, not the glasses. Regardless of whether or not you take a new pair each time or keep them and reuse them you still pay extra each time.

The ones we got at our 3D Experience IMAX weren't the disposable types. You get them at the beginning then give them back at the end. They looked more like these:



Aren't the disposable ones just for the digital 3D screens or something?

[burn_this_city]

I'm standing in line for the 1030 show. Got here at 830 and there were 50 people in line already. The reviews Ive read have me pretty excited. Hopefully it lives up to the enormous hype.

[awildermode]

^yep, i got that kind (for imax)

first movie i saw in imax and 3D.

[3 Justin 3]

Well it was sold out tonight and I my boss phoned and said I had to come into work anyway (he gave me the day off 2 hours earlier), but I got my tickets for Sunday at 7PM. Can't wait for Sunday now!!

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by HPLovecraft

Why did the giant mech have a giant knife? Was that for in case he got in a knife fight with another giant robot?

that was the one part that really made me go "WTF!?". normally i don't say anything when watching movies in theaters because i like to stay immersed, but i had to say to my buddy beside me "Why the hell does the robot have a giant knife? Was it Crocodile Dundee's mech?"

overall though i thought the movie was great. somethings like the robot knife and the overdone "Humans are bad, we're destroying the Earth" message i could have done without, but the effects are something we just haven't seen until this point and the story does a great job of getting you to root for the giant blue aliens over the evil humans. Neytiri is easily the greatest CGI character ever created, and will likely go down as an important point in film history where audiences can completely relate with an animated character. the scene with her mourning her father was amazing

[C-ero]

Best. Movie. Ever

I loved every single part of it.

[sureLoss]

Its a beautiful movie. Not a perfect plot but just a joy to watch visually.